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PESHAWAR, Jul 08 (APP):In a significant legal development, a local court here Tuesday directed senior PTI leader and former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa minister Shaukat Yousafzai to pay Rs. 1 million in damages to Asfandyar Wali Khan, head of the Awami National Party (ANP), for making defamatory remarks.
The court’s written verdict comes nearly six years after Yousafzai made controversial statements during a press conference on July 26, 2019, accusing Wali of having “sold the heads of the Pashtuns.” In response, Wali filed a defamation suit demanding Rs. 1 billion in damages, claiming the statement badly hit his image and credibility.
During the trial, Yousafzai argued that his remarks were based on previous claims by late ANP leader Azam Hoti, but the court found the statements to be defamatory and lacking justification. The judgment concluded that the allegations had caused serious harm to Wali’s political reputation.
The verdict, issued by the Peshawar Sessions Court, marks the conclusion of a high-profile case and reinforces legal accountability for public statements made by political figures.